Educational board games offer parents a triple threat of usefulness. They let parents spend quality time with their children. They keep kids away from hours of watching television or playing video games. In many circumstances, they can provide educational opportunities.
The best educational board and card games can help children develop or refine mental and emotional skills, often without knowing it. These are also great if you have a family game night. It is a fun way to spend time with your younger kids.
Educational board games are a great way to combine learning and play, making education enjoyable for children of all ages. These games reinforce academic skills and promote social skills, critical thinking, and cooperative play. Whether you’re looking for a strategy game, a cooperative game, or a fun game to play with the whole family, there’s a great educational board game out there for everyone.
Brainbox
Designed for children ages eight and up. Brainbox introduces children to trivia about some of their favourite subjects, including animals and dinosaurs. There are also versions centred on the United States and world geography. The gameplay is simple. Players draw a card and have 10 seconds to study the information or photo on the front of the card.
After 10 seconds is up, the card is flipped over. The game can be played in one of two ways. Either the player can see how many of 10 questions on the back side he can answer about the front side of the card, or he can roll dice and be asked the numbered question that the dice add up to. The best asset of Brainbox might be that a child can play it alone, moderating himself with the timer and keeping score of how many questions he gets right on each card.
The Oregon Trail
One of the classic and much-beloved educational board games is The Oregon Trail. Originally developed as a computer game. Its adaptation into a board game brings all of its excitement back to life. Players take on pioneer roles to navigate treacherous paths along the Oregon Trail – teaching kids history, geography and decision-making along the way!
For older children learning about early pioneers’ hardships while having great fun – The Oregon Trail board game can also serve as an excellent way to teach about history while having loads of fun!
Buy It Right!
Buy It Right! is a classic game for younger players ages six to nine. It’s designed to help them with beginning math principles and the identification and counting of money. Impressive facsimiles of paper money and coins are included as players use “shopping carts” in an attempt to travel around the board collecting grocery items before their fellow competitors can. Math skills are tested as young children must decide how to pay for each item and make changes. A calculator is included for tougher computations. The game is for two to four players.
Totally Gross
Targeted at children ages 8 to 12. Totally Gross is a teaching and fun board game. It disguises learning in some of the more disgusting facts of the various sciences. The game teaches biology, chemistry and zoology. It engages children with such questions as, “Did you know snot helps keep your lungs clean?”
In addition to the questions, players might land on the “Gross-Out” space or complete a Lab Experiment in order to win the game. Adults will probably find even the game’s movement system a bit disgusting. A can of “slime” is included in the game. Each player gets a piece and stretches it across the board from Space 1 to Space 10 as they answer questions correctly. With 110 questions, 50 Gross Out cards and 30 Lab Experiments to perform, the game will keep kids occupied and learning for hours.
Connect Four
A true classic among the older generation of family board games. Connect Four is fun for all ages and helps develop sequencing, calculation and strategy skills. Combining elements of checkers (black and red circular pieces) and tic-tac-toe (the four-in-a-row structure), Connect Four uses a vertical board through which players drop game pieces until one of them creates a row of four. Rows can be created vertically, horizontally or diagonally. You must always look for the possible rows your opponent is plotting. Connect Four requires players to think ahead. The game is for two players, best for ages 7 and older.
The National Parks Game
The National Parks Game is an excellent cooperative game for those searching for something fun and educational. It encourages players to work together to establish and expand national parks while learning about various parks, their locations, and the wildlife that inhabits them. Cooperative games such as this one help children learn the value of teamwork and communication while developing their social and emotional intelligence.
Rat-a-Tat Cat
This clever, fast-paced game is simple enough for a first-grader yet will keep both parents and older kids engaged for hours. This card game utilizes basic arithmetic, memory skills, light strategy, and plenty of luck. Special “power cards” allow you to peek at other players’ cards. The “Rat Scanner” provides an additional feature to keep kids on their toes until a player yells “Rat-a-Tat Cat!”. The game requires two to six players and is appropriate for ages 6 and older.
The Periodic Table Game
The Periodic Table Game offers an engaging challenge for an advanced level of play. Perfect for kids interested in science and chemistry. Players learn about elements in the periodic table, chemical reactions and deductive reasoning as they work to form compounds and earn points. It provides a fun yet interactive way for older kids to expand their knowledge base while at the same time having fun with this good game!
Cadoo
This award-winning educational game fuses tic-tac-toe, bingo, charades, Trivial Pursuit and Play-Doh to create a game filled with twists and turns. Players draw cards that require performing a wide range of tasks either alone or with another player. After completing tasks, the player receives tokens placed on the game board until a row of four is completed. Tasks incorporate academic skills such as logic, sequencing, art, memory, and word puzzling to complement your kids’ learning in school. Cadoo requires two or more players and is appropriate for ages 7 and older.
The Best Board Games
Educational board games are a fantastic way to combine learning and fun. Whether you’re exploring the historic Oregon Trail, uncovering the wonders of national parks, mastering the periodic table, or engaging in word games, there are different ways to enrich your knowledge and skills through board games.
Gather your young kids and embark on a journey of discovery and education, interesting facts, language skills and creative thinking through the world of educational board games. Who knows, you might find your new favourite game while learning something new with every roll of the dice or draw of a card.